Solid putting carries Suh at Memorial
Justin Suh signed for a six-under 66 at the Memorial and then made a few stops to speak with reporters. His putter stayed with him the entire time, which probably was wise.
The way it behaved Friday, when he holed eight putts from the 10-foot range or longer, he might not want to let it out of his sight.
Suh made one last birdie on the 18th that gave him a one-shot lead over past champion Hideki Matsuyama, with two-time Memorial champion Patrick Cantlay another shot behind.
“On the first hole, I made a 12-footer for par on the fringe. I just kind of kept the confidence with the putter going,” Suh said.
Two of his longer putts were to save par, and there were plenty of birdies along the way on another sunny, hot afternoon at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.
Matsuyama and Cantlay played in the morning, two players who consider the course Jack Nicklaus built among their favorites all year.
Matsuyama’s putting was equal to what Suh produced in the afternoon, rolling in big birdie putts on his way to a tournamentbest 65.
“To make those putts at seven and eight were huge,” Matsuyama said. “I made some good par-saving putts today. The course is playing tough, especially the greens. If the greens get even harder than they are now, it’s going to be a challenge this weekend. But today, the putts went in and so I’m satisfied.”
Cantlay was superb again from tee-to-green — the brand of golf that usually succeeds at Muirfield Village — and made enough putts for a 67. Several burned the edge of the cup. He also made a 50-foot birdie putt from the back of the green on No. 17.
David Lipsky (69) joined Cantlay at six-under 138.
Lee, Knight top LPGA leaderboard
Minjee Lee matched the tournament best with an eight-under 64 for a share of the lead in the LPGA Tour’s weather-delayed Mizuho Americas Open in Jersey City, N.J.
Cheyenne Knight had a 68 to join Lee at seven-under 137 atop the tightly bunched leaderboard in the inaugural event that features five top-10 players and promising newcomer Rose Zhang.
Play was suspended late in the afternoon for 1 hour, 47 minutes because of dangerous weather conditions near Liberty National and the last groups barely finished before darkness.
The fifth-ranked Lee birdied eight of the first 12 holes in a bogey-free round that moved her from 55th to the top spot. Her score was nine shots better than her opening round.
Stricker opens with two-stroke lead
Steve Stricker, seeking his third consecutive win on the Champions Tour, opened with bogey-free, eight-under 64 to take a twostroke lead over a trio of players, including the last two winners of the Principal Charity Classic.
The tournament at Wakonda Golf Course in Des Moines, Iowa, was delayed about 90 minutes in the afternoon because of lightning.
Stricker recorded his 50th consecutive round of par or better on the tour, extending his all-time record, which dates to last season. Rod Pampling, Stephen Ames and Jerry Kelly each shot a 66 to forge a tie for second. Ames (2021) and Kelly (2022) won this tournament the last two years.
Kieffer holds on to European Open lead
Maximilian Kieffer stayed atop the leaderboard after the second round of the European Open in Hamburg, Germany, though a late double bogey cut into his lead to one stroke.
Kieffer, tied for the lead after the first round, carded a two-under 71 to stay a shot in front.